The new cultivar is a product of chance discovery by the inventor. This new variety, hereinafter referred to as ‘ROBLEU’, was discovered as a branch sport by Thomas Dennis Meadows Jr, Apr. 14, 2001 in Loxley, Ala., at a commercial nursery. The parent variety producing this naturally occurring mutation is Rhododendron ‘Conlee’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,567.
After identifying the new variety as a potentially interesting selection, the inventor first organized propagation of ‘ROBLEU’ by vegetative cuttings on Jun. 12, 2001 at the same commercial nursery in Loxley, Ala. The inventor continued controlled testing and propagation, assessing stability of the unique characteristics of this variety. Multiple generations have been reproduced and have shown that the unique features of this cultivar are stable and reproduced true to type.